A Chance at Redemption
by Sien13
Summary: Kakashi Hatake is sent to the Blood Village for recon after its supposed destruction. There he finds a girl who resembles Rin, an old teammate of his, and she is immediately put in his protection despite his objections. When the true story comes to light, will he be her ally, or will he become one of her enemies? (This contains minor, non-plot-essential spoilers.)
1. Chapter 1: Desolation

**Author's Note: **So, just because I love all of you, I'll tell you now in case you didn't catch it before. There are **SPOILERS. **They're not plot-essential to the series but they do play an impact on some characters. You have been warned.

* * *

An S-rank mission was where it all began.

Kakashi couldn't hide his surprise when he was called to the Hokage's office and handed a white, blood spattered scroll. His gaze flicked between the scroll and the Hokage, confusion clear in his expression. "Hokage… I'm not well enough for a mission." His previous assignment had left him with a near-fatal wound that had stubbornly refused to heal. In his condition, another mission could easily cause problems, and the Hokage had been informed of this. _So why is he assigning a mission to me so soon? _

The Hokage chuckled, amused by the unusual worry Kakashi was expressing. Normally, he was raring to go. He understood his concern, but the young jonin could handle this mission without fear of fighting. "Kakashi Hatake, the greatest 18-year-old jonin in this village. Surely you can handle recon?" If he'd managed to rise to the top at that age, the mission would be no problem, injury or not. "Now, open the scroll."

Kakashi sighed in resignation, knowing that he couldn't refuse. He examined the scroll, searching the seemingly seamless surface for a means of opening it. The only thing that marked it, aside from the crimson stains, was the symbol for _chi_, or blood._ An Anbu blood seal. _Having recognized the seal, he lifted his thumb to his mouth and bit the tip sharply. A tiny dot of blood appeared, welling up and threatening to run down his finger. He hesitantly pressed it to the seal, watching as it ran through the symbol like water through a canal. Once reaching each corner, the symbol seemed to simply burn out of existence, releasing the seal.

The scroll fell open, extending about a foot before reaching its end, exposing the hastily written report. Holding one end in each hand, Kakashi began to pour over the contents, wondering what could require such high security measures. As he read, his expression changed from indifference to one of disturbance. _The Blood Village was... Destroyed? But I was there just a week ago. _As if wanting to remind him of his previous visit, his torso began to ache where he'd been wounded before and it took extreme control not to drop the scroll and clutch his chest in pain. _And now, they want me to..._

He quickly closed the scroll and tossed it on the desk, knowing that it would be disposed of later. He turned his gaze to the Hokage, his expression unreadable but anger clear in his voice. "Lord Hokage, this is-"

"Yes, yes. I'm sending you back. You're the only one who knows anything about that place, Kakashi. You must go." The Hokage couldn't meet Kakashi's eyes; he was doing such a terrible thing, and it was obvious that the young ninja wanted nothing to do with the mission.

The shinobi stood silent a moment, clenching his hands into fists by his side for a moment before speaking through clenched teeth. "I understand. I will leave once the sun sets." Kakashi bowed shortly, hiding his irritation behind a forced smile, and turned to go, wanting nothing more than to leave that office. As he shut the door behind him, fighting the urge to slam it shut, he let out a huff and began plotting out the things he would need for his trip. A few days in that rough country would require a decent amount of supplies. Glancing upward, he could tell there wasn't much time until nightfall. He headed towards his home, already listing out the supplies he would need. This trip would only last a few days, but it would seem much longer to Kakashi.

* * *

Darkness plagued the land, the moon constantly obscured by the dark clouds that were spread across the sky. The road was silent as Kakashi walked, only the gentle taps of his footsteps and the occasional flip of a page disrupting the peace. He was acutely aware that he was being followed, though he didn't know by who, so he'd put up the appearance of an unaware traveler. It could've simply been the Anbu testing his skill. With one hand he held a book, blank on the cover, while the other rested in his pocket, a kunai tucked into the sleeve in case a fight arose. He was seemingly unaware but perfectly prepared for any threat.

_I didn't think the Blood Village was this far away… _He'd been traveling for hours, and it must've been well past midnight already- probably closer to dawn. The scenery offered no hints to his location, as it was all dense forestry and the occasional puddle of black water. He'd stopped at one of these puddles before, examining the pink lotus that floated on the murky surface. Kakashi found it strange that a flower could grow in such thick water, but his thoughts were more focused towards getting to the village and getting his mission over with so he could return to the Leaf Village. Not a very shinobi-like thought, but that was Kakashi.

Red and yellow light began to filter through the trees, notifying Kakashi that dawn had broken, yet he still hadn't reached the village. He slowed to a halt next to a murky puddle. Snapping his book shut, he slid it into his pouch and crouched next to the water, reaching out a hand and plucking the pink lotus. "You're the one that started this," he said softly, twirling the flower between his fingers and he straightened up. He had been trapped the instant he leaned over to look at the plant.

He placed his palms together, folding the fingers to form a hand sign used for basic chakra control, the lotus trapped in the indentation his fingers made when pressed together. "Release!"

The forest melted away to reveal the charred ruins of a village, and Kakashi found himself standing at the entrance gate, the path now behind him. He had planned to make a snide comment about how whoever had cast the genjutsu should've been more careful about repeating surroundings, but he was caught off guard by the desolation in front of him.

The ground was completely black with ash and blood and littered with countless numbers of burned bodies. Shallows trenches were running with crimson rivers, some of them still fresh. Buildings had crumbled like dust and were alive with black flames that showed no sign of ceasing. The air was thick with smoke and the scent of blood, so thick that Kakashi could almost taste it even through his mask. He had to fight the urge to gag; the scene was repulsing, even to a ninja like him.

He wandered through the village, searching the bodies for any sign of who had caused the damage, though they were too badly burned for him to gather any useful intel. There were no marks, no cuts... Just burns. The black flames could provide some answers, so Kakashi sealed them in a special sealing scroll he had been given. He would turn it over to the Anbu when he returned. He continued his search, turning his attention to the other buildings.

By the time night had fallen, Kakashi hadn't gotten any more information from the destroyed village. He knew he had scanned over some things, but he hadn't been able to examine them for long without losing focus. _I'm just too paranoid. I can't focus because I'm tired._ He still felt eyes boring into his back with every move he made, and it unnerved him. This place bothered him in the first place, and on top of all that, he was physically drained.

He took up a watch position against the base of a large, blackened tree, sitting on the ground with his back resting against it. This would allow him to rest his body at least, since he couldn't sleep. He was physically and mentally exhausted, and this was better than nothing. The enemy could return. He'd need to be prepared.

Kakashi let his gaze wander to the sky, where the moon rested, illuminating the village below in an eerie white light. A gentle breeze blew through the village, carrying wisps of grey smoke away in its current. He'd rather be home, but he had to admit as he sat watching the leaves drifting down that this place was peaceful enough. It was sad circumstances, but-

_Wait… Leaves? These trees are barren!_

He immediately tried to leap to his feet, but his body wouldn't respond. He was paralyzed. "Damnit… Genjutsu!" He muttered to himself, trying fruitlessly to force his hands into the sign to release the technique. Why hadn't he noticed it sooner? _I should've expected a double attack. But there weren't any signs..._

Cursing his ignorance, Kakashi resigned himself to watching the world unfold around him through a narrowed gaze. In a whirlwind of leaves a figure appeared, its hand clad in pale green chakra. _A medical-nin, huh._ The stranger approached his still body, crouching down just a foot away and reaching out a hand to lift his chin as his head fell forward. Through his darkening sight, Kakashi could make out a few features; this was a woman, with short, dark hair and dark rectangles marking her cheeks. He felt his heart jump into his throat as he recognized the woman, and after a moment he was able to choke out a feeble "R-Rin?"

The woman smiled almost sadly, leaning forward slightly and pressing her free palm against Kakashi's chest, the green chakra brightening as she performed an unseen jutsu. "Sleep now, Kakashi."


	2. Chapter 2: Return

Author's Note: This took me so long to write because I hit a wall. But I pulled through after so long, and I hope you guys enjoy this. No, it's not as long. The next chapter will flow easier (main plot things will begin) and it'll be longer to make up.

* * *

The icy sting of the rain as it hit his skin woke Kakashi from his unconsciousness. He struggled to open his eyes, which felt as if they'd been glued shut while he slept; when he succeeded, he found himself staring up at the woman from before. She was leaning over him, focused solely on cleaning Kakashi's previously attained wound. She was unaware of his awakening and Kakashi took the opportunity to study her; it was uncanny how much she resembled Rin. Dark brown hair framed her face in a short bob-cut, complementing the russet eyes so set on their task. The purple rectangles that marked her cheeks completed the picture of a grown-up version of the girl from his past. But that girl had been gone for 5 years and Kakashi knew that she couldn't possibly be her.

The sudden, involuntary twitches of his fingers startled her, bringing her attention to his face. Her dark eyes studied his face, settling on his own for a moment before she stood and walked out of his view. Kakashi tried to sit up, succeeding only in propping himself up on his elbows due to the discomfort where she'd been prodding his wound. He looked around, searching for the woman and taking in his surroundings. They'd moved to a canopy forest away from the village- he could tell because the strong scent of blood and ash had vanished- and had taken up camp by a small stream. _Did she bring me here? _How long, he wondered, had he been out of it if this girl had managed to bring him this far?

She came back into view, carrying a small roll of bandages and a clear vial filled with a peridot liquid. When he tried to move to defend himself, she paused and held her arms out to the sides to show that she carried no weapons. "I'm not going to hurt you. I'm going to help, so let me." Kakashi relaxed, nodding slowly in resignation. With his approval, she crouched behind him and pulled him up and back to lean against her knee, allowing her to wrap the gauze around his torso. She pulled it tightly, frowning when Kakashi grimaced in pain, and tied it off. Picking up the vial, she tugged down his mask and pressed it to his lips, urging "Drink. It'll help you." when he tried to turn away. He obliged, having no other choice than to obey her, and in a few moments he felt the strength returning to his limbs and the pain fade away.

With her help Kakashi stood and turned to face her, accepting the clothing she handed him as he spoke. "Who are you?" He asked while pulling on the black turtleneck- he'd worn slightly different attire than the usual uniform- and adjusting it, following with the flak jacket. His question seemed to confuse her, and she hesitated a few minutes before answering. "My name… is Rin."

"Rin." It felt odd to be calling someone by that name again, but Kakashi pushed the feeling aside for the time being. It was more important to learn what he could while she was willing to talk. "You already know who I am. Where are we?"

"We're halfway back to your village Konoha." She held out a scroll wrapped with Kakashi's headband, which he took hesitantly. Sliding it open, he realized that it contained the intel he had gone to the village for and stared up at the girl in bewilderment. Seeing his confusion, she hastily explained. "You would get in trouble for now finishing your mission, so I gathered the data you needed."

Rin picked up a pack that had been on the ground behind her and slipped it over her shoulders, turning and maneuvering through the forest. Kakashi followed, rerolling the scroll and tucking it in his tool pouch. When they reached the path and had set a steady pace, he quietly asked her what had sprung to mind when she'd handed him the scroll. "Rin, why would you help me? We aren't allies. Why should you care?"

She glanced at him over her shoulder and smiled, her gaze soft as it met his. "A kunoichi will always help her teammates, Kakashi."

* * *

By the time sunset had cast its golden shadows over the land the pair had arrived at Konoha. Kakashi pulled Rin, who was gawking at the colourful sky, along behind him as he marched through the village, eager to get to the Hokage's office and resign himself from his troublesome mission. He was grateful that when they had passed the gates she moved her attention to keeping up with him, as it only made it easier to maneuver through the village, which was still bustling with activity despite the hour, and reach their designation.

They were ushered inside immediately and met by the Third Hokage, who was openly pleased about Kakashi's arrival. "Kakashi, you're back. You were gone for quite a bit longer than originally planned." He put down the stack of papers he had been reading, adding them to the large pile on the side of his desk, and folded his hands in front of him; Kakashi knew this meant for him to begin explaining.

Sliding a hand into the tool pouch he removed the intel scroll, turning to press it into Rin's hands before pushing her forward. "An unexpected event delayed me, Lord Hokage." He'd been gone 9 days, 7 of which were spent in a medical coma while he recovered; he'd asked Rin about it on their way back. "I did find the data you wanted, though. This is Rin, the lone survivor of the incident. She, along with the scroll, should have all the information you need."

The Hokage stood, walking around the desk to stand in front of the girl. He took the scroll that she nervously held out to him and smiled, passing it along to the nearby Anbu member while he examined her. She stood rigidly with her hands clasped together behind her back, casting glances back at Kakashi as if looking for his support, though she only seemed to grow more downcast. Upon looking at the shinobi, he realized that he was watching them with annoyance; it clearly bothered Rin. "So, Rin, was it? It's ironic, you look just like-"

"Lord Hokage, may I go?" Kakashi interrupted. He'd made his way back to the door and now stood with a hand resting on the handle, anxious to escape. Ignoring the glares he received from the Anbu, he continued. "I finished my mission, after all."

The Third waved dismissively, turning away from the impatient shinobi and towards the girl before him. He nodded to the Anbu black-op, who walked forward and gently took Rin by the arm, beginning to pull her towards the other door in the room. Kakashi left then, not even offering a single glance back when she called his name.


End file.
